1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus capable of switching between both wide viewing angle and narrow viewing angle display modes.
2. Related Art
Recently, it is required that display devices such as laptop computers and cellular phones have wide viewing angle characteristics so as to be normally viewed from any direction. Alternatively, when the display devices are used outside or in public places, users of the devices generally dislike other people viewing images displayed on the devices. In this case, narrow viewing angle characteristics is required. For this reason, there have been suggested various display devices capable of switching between a wide viewing angle state and a narrow viewing angle state (for example, see JP-A-2006-64882, JP-A-2006-72239, JP-A-2006-106439, JP-A-2004-361917, and JP-A-2005-275342).
For example, the display devices capable of overlapping another image on the displayed image to conceal it when viewed from a specific direction by switching the display mode are disclosed in JP-A-2006-64882 and JP-A-2006-72239.
A display device capable of switching between a wide viewing angle display mode and a narrow viewing angle display mode is disclosed in JP-A-2006-106439. In the device, a viewing angle in both vertical and horizontal directions can be controlled in the narrow viewing angle display mode and image confirmation from the viewing angle in both vertical and horizontal directions can be prevented.
A viewing angle controlling element and a display device capable of obtaining a high information confidentiality without a negative effect on the brightness of transmitted light and capable of dynamically changing viewing angle corresponding to the necessity of information confidentiality are disclosed in JP-A-2004-361917. In addition, the viewing angle controlling element having high capability to switch between the wide viewing angle and the narrow viewing angle and the liquid crystal display device using the same are disclosed in JP-A-2005-275342.
Besides, there is a known technology where the brightness of a display image is darkened when viewed from an oblique direction by attaching an optic film capable of controlling an irradiation range of illumination light irradiated from a back light to a display panel to a display screen of a display device.
In this case, controlling the viewing angles to achieve the above-described objects means that it is good for images (display images) not to be viewed when the display device from the oblique direction is viewed. In order to achieve the objects, it is not required that the brightness of the images be darkened like in the above-described documents and the technology, but it is advantageous to lower the contrast of an image instead.